Tar Snakes Crawling on GA 60

[gasportrider]

A picture is worth a thousand words ..................

LINK TO SLIDESHOW OF ROAD CONDITIONS

Note that the edge traps north of Woody Gap will be eliminated by the scheduled repaving this summer.

It sure seems as though it would be a great idea to repave the short section of Highway 60 from Stone Pile Gap to Woody Gap given the apparent hazards of an abundance of seam sealers on a road with a steep grade and lots of curves frequented by single track vehicles like bicycles and motorcycles.

What do you think?

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL POST:

Here's a heads up to all riders in Northern Georgia. GDOT is in the process of installing a new type of seam sealer on Highway 60 north of Stone Pile Gap extending to the top of the mountain at Woody Gap. Road maintenance personnel refer to this new sealer as "rubberized asphalt". It seems to be more elevated above the road surface than the old style water based product and seems to me to be MUCH SLICKER than the old product. I have experienced slides on these "tar snakes" in hot and dry weather. I can only imagine what cold temps and rainy weather will add to this environment.

This new product is supposed to be much longer lived than the old style product and is NOT supposed to "wear in" or get less elevated OR less slick over time. Its use is designed to extend the useful life of the roadway as it keeps water from permeating the road bed where subsequent freezing can cause the road surface to break up.

This same type of sealer is also in use on Highway 9 north of Dawsonville.

Be particularly careful on these roadways whether dry or wet as significant tire slippage or wheel oscillation can be produced by this new seam sealer. Maintenance personnel offered today to look into possible solutions to this perceived problem of reduced traction on the seam sealer.

One good piece of news from my research of this problem is that money was previously budgeted for the re-paving of Highway 60 from Woody Gap to the Fannin County Line. I made a personal appeal to the project manager to try to minimize the effects of corner cutting 4 wheel traffic causing gravel to be thrown onto the highway on the particularly curvy sections about 1.5 miles north of Suches.

If you find these roadways to be hazardous, please POLITELY voice your concern to the DOT office at 706-348-4848.

Give fair warning to your motorcycling and bicycling buddies!!! I have a concern that some of our comrades may start braking when small slides occur and cause a small problem to become a much larger and more hazardous issue.

 

[trimmantom]

Thanks for the heads up Gaspo. Them snakes oughta be wigglin real good in the sauna conditions we'll be experiencing in the next week or so.

Maybe the DOT's way of slowin down the squids.

 

[kiteman11]

Excellent report for us North GA folks. Thank you. :clapping: :clapping:

I will be more vocal on here about what I see because these roads are about all I travel daily.

 

[gasportrider]

Here's a follow up to a Georgia Sportbike Forums response:

Quote:

Originally Posted by illuminatus

How do you know that it's some new kind of sealant? Was there an article somewhere? We need product names if we are to stop this stuff. I have ridden on it on SR 9 and SR 60 and it totally sux!

Illumanatus,

Perhaps I can improve the language of the original text of my posting with this response. I relied upon information supplied to me in good faith by supervisory maintenance personnel within the GDOT.

It was reported to me that the old style water based spray on seam sealer was referred to as "CRS2". This is the product that we recall as being particularly slick when wet, but offering reasonable, though reduced traction, when dry. Its other distinction is that it presumably filled the crack or seam and oversprayed the roadway a bit, but did so without leaving a substantially elevated surface above the level of the roadway.

The newer product was simply referred to as "rubberized asphalt" It may have a product designation, but I did not ask for it to be recited to me. I was told that this product is judged by GDOT to be more persistent in usage and likely to preserve the roadbed for a longer period of time. These are certainly salutary effects in a tight economy.

I believe it to be reasonable that GDOT could not know the possible adverse effects upon single track vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles that these successively applied and elevated "tar snakes" might have.

I have experienced a comparatively severe reduction in available traction while crossing these "tar snakes". Notably, while leaned over moderately in a curve and crossing several "tar snakes" in a row that were applied closely together, oscillations or "head shakes" were created at the front wheel that moved directly to the bars. These two effects are likely to result in startle responses to any rider sensitive to reduced traction and control over his or her motorcycle.

My big concerns are for new young riders on sportbikes and older re-entry or new riders on cruisers. Statistics tell us that both of these groups are under represented in rider training classes. It is reasonable to assume that a likely response to this sense of reduced traction or "head shake" by inexperienced or under trained riders will be to hit the brakes. As you know, the likely result will be an even larger slide that could result in either the motorcycle going off the mountain or worst case, crossing the center line into oncoming traffic.

Last but not least, I was told that funds for repaving are very tight. So, while we will benefit from and enjoy the repaving of Hwy 60 from Woody Gap to the Fannin County line, the southern section of Hwy 60 will be a major safety concern for us until the repaving can be accomplished.

Perhaps, if this safety issue becomes a point of concern to many riders, our voices can make a difference with GDOT officials, county officials, EMS personnel, and members of the GDOT State Transportation Board.

Last but not least, I discussed this matter with the head of the Lumpkin County EMS to alert him to this perceived increased risk. It will be valuable information if there is an increase in the accident rate over the course of the summer. He relayed to me that Lumpkin County already responds to more motorcycle accident injuries than in the entirety of Hall County with its much greater population.

So, for all of you who value motorcycling and the joy that our generally fabulous North Georgia roads provide us, get involved and let your voices be heard.

 

[Wicked Webby]

Good to know.

Thanks for sharing.

WW

 

[2wheelingdawg]

dumb question, Stone pile gap and woody gap, is that before or after TWO coming up 60 from Dahlonega?

 

[gasportrider]

dumb question, Stone pile gap and woody gap, is that before or after TWO coming up 60 from Dahlonega?

Not a dumb question. Both are before you get to TWO. Stone Pile Gap is at the fork of GA19 and GA60 where the Indian monument is located.

Woody Gap is the top of the mountain where the two parking areas are located and the hiking path crosses Hwy 60.

Also, use to be known as the fun road and part of the "loop".

 

[2wheelingdawg]

glad to know, usually try to hit that stretch of road pretty hard. Thanks for the warning.

 

[EODSarge]

Hope everyone stayed out of the ditch up there this weekend... got invited on a run to Helen with some co-workers, but we turned right at Turner's Corner to go up 17/75 rather than up 129 and into Helen from the north, so never got onto that part of 60 or the loop. Lots of Troopers around; saw a pair of squids getting performance awards just south of Turner's Corner and got passed by fire and EMS going to a wreck off 75... I get the feeling they were busy this weekend. If anyone was up there Sunday and saw an '08 looking bored behind 15 or so Harleys, that was me. <_<

 

[MrTwisty]

Mrs. Twisty and I experienced the tar snakes first hand this weekend.

Even though I knew they were there, I must admit they were more slippery and more abundant than I expected. While doing the Cooler Run (Hwy. 180, 129, 60), turned onto Hwy. 60 from Hwy. 129 and in the first corner the bike went sideways several inches. I was not going fast at all, and it was a very good thing, or we would have gone down.

The little slide was significant enough, however, for my old dirt biking habits to take over, and I stomped my right foot down without thinking and tweaked my knee a little. No biggie, my knee is fine, just a little sore. It could have been much worse.

Later, while sitting at Dale's, an ambulance came screaming down Hwy. 180. I expected it to turn left, but it went right. As it turns out, a rider crashed on Hwy. 60 and got a helicopter ride out. I heard he was 80 years old, and the bike looked like a scooter, but it was so smashed up, it was hard to tell. I hope he is OK, but severe injuries at that age could be fatal.

 

[gasportrider]

I received the following response from GDOT personnel regarding the seam sealant on GA 60 and Highway 9 in Lumpkin County.

"the sealant which was placed on SR 60 and SR 9 in Lumpkin Co. is a pavement preservation practice which is used in Georgia and throughout the nation. Based on the posted speed limits and the posted advisory speed plates on curve signs the (Georgia Department Of Transportation) GDOT is confident these roads are safe for all travelers. However GDOT will monitor these areas of concern for any future problems. Thank you."

So, I conclude that any improvement in the current situation for the lower part of GA 60 will require re-paving. That will require political action and that means we will need YOU. More to come.......

 

[ngarider]

count me in on the effort. friggin ice snakes BLOW.